Electrically steam heated radiator



April 19. 1932. w. B DUNN ELECTRICALLY STEAM HEATED RADIATOR Filed 'Aug. 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4. FIG. 5.

\2 I u I FIG. 7. FI 6- vy iuiam E1. Dunn ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 19, 1932 FlQE VIII-LIAM: BENJAMIN DUI IN, OF MOUNT CLEI-EENS, IVIICHIGAN ELECTRICALLY STEABI HEATED RADIATOR Application filed August 4, 1930. Serial No. 473,043.

This invention relates to portable heaters, and particularly to one embod ing an electrically heated steam boiler connected to a steam radiator so as to form an easily portable unit.

An object of the invention is to provide a portable heater which is er'iicient and simple in operation- Another object is to provide a heater which is, in ellect, a complete steam heating system, which may be easily moved about and positioned at the most eliectivpoint. Another object is to provide a heat-'- having a steam boiler, the output of of which may be easily varied to varyin temperatures. Other objects may becoi c apparent later..

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a E5 1 heater constructed in accordance with invention.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical crosssection of the steam boiler shown as apart or" Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4 l of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 55 of-Figure 3. I

Figure 6 is a cross-section taken the line 6-6 of Figure 3, this view being partially broken away to show a resistance ment.

Figure 7 is an end view of th steam boiler shown in Figure 1, this view being parti broken away to better show the operation of the boiler.

Similar nun'ieralsreter to similar through the several views. As shown in drawings this invention is characterized y three main parts, a steam boiler or i 49 A, a steam radiator B, wl 11 may be of the conventional type, and an nnent panel board C, these parts being a to form a single unit which Although the radiator B may be oi ventional type, it is preferably of nnnizc size, so that the heater maybe easily c l about.

In detail, the boiler A comprises a hollow metallic casting 10, internally formed with a pair of hollow water ti 'ht members 11 which openly communicate with the exterior of the casting and are internally shaped for the reception of disleshapcd resistance units 12. In order to brace these members 11, and also to aid in the conduction of heat from the resistance units 12, bridge members 13 are formed as integral parts of the casting 10. These bridge members serve to brace the hollow members from each other and from the walls of the casting, and also support the upper walls of t i casting itself. The uppermost portion of the casting 10 is provided with an outlet 1%, one side wall with an outlet 15 and the very bottom-most portion of this wall is provided with a third and smaller outlet 16. The water level in the boiler is preferably kept about on a line with the second outlet 15, as indicated by the dotted line in Figure 1. As a means of ascertaining the water level in the boiler, an opening 17 is provided near the upper part of the casting, and a rod 18 having a buoyant end 19 inserted t erethrough so that this end may contact with the water in the boiler. To prevent the escape of steam through this opening 17 a cap 20 may be screwed thereon,

Coupled to the outlet 14; is an upstanding pipe 21, its upper end being bent to form an elbow 22. The panel board G is shaped to extend along the ength of the pipe 21 and to cover one side of the boiler A. The panel may be mounted by attachment through a hanger 23 to the pipe 21. Its upper pol tion is provided with a pressure gage 24 which is coupled through a pipe 25 to the elbow 22 or the pi 3e 21. A pair of multipole electric switches 26 are also mounted to the top 01 the panel C, one being preferably carried thereby on each side of the pressure gage 24. Current is carried to these switches 26 by a cable 27 which may be connected to any suitable current source, these switches in turn being connected through multi-Wire cables 28 to the resistance units 12 which are of the variable resistance type so that the switches 26 may operate to cause these resistance units to generate different amounts of heat.

' The top portion of radiator B is coupled to the bent outlet of the pipe 21 by means of a union 29, and its bottom-most portion to the outlet 15 by means of a similar union. The opposite bottom-most end of this radiator is connected by means of a pipe 30 to the bottom outlet 16 of the casting by a coupling 31. To assure safe operation, the boiler B is preferably supplied with a steam safety pressure outlet 32 of the conventional t e.

n operation the boiler A is first filled to the proper level with water, thescrew cap 20 being removed so that the indicated rod 18 may be used to ascertain when this level is reached. lVhen the water has been placed inthe boiler the screwtcap 20 is tightly screwed over the outlet 17 to prevent the escape of any steam. Upon connection of the cable 27 to a current source the switches 26 may be operated to energize the resistance elements 12 so as to produce the greatest heat of which they are capable. As soon as the water begins to boil, dry steam will pass through the outlet 14 to the boiler B, while wet steam will pass through the outlet 15 to the boiler. As this steam condenses, and is converted back to water, it will be returned to the boiler A through the pipe 30. The steam gage 2 1 may be used to enable the operator to properly manipulate the switches 26 so as to maintain the desired pressure in respective of the temperature of the room. If, through in-attention, the switches 26 should be turned so that an excess of steam is generated, the safety valve 32 will function to prevent an explosion.

The heater is easily portable, and very eflicient in operation. The boiler A is simply a metallic casting which may be easily and cheaply manufactured, as may the radiator B. Should the electrical resistances 12 be burnt out, they may be easily withdrawn through the open ends of the hollow members 11, whereupon new ones may be re-inserted.

Its efiiciency is much greater than in the case of heaters employing hot water, the objectionable feature of steam radiators known as pounding not being present because of the fact that there are no long pipes for the steam to condense into water, this being the cause of such noise.

It is to be understood that the invention. as here shown and described, is not intended I to limit the appended claims thereto, but that these claims are to be construed broadly.

I claim:

1. In a portable steam heater, a steam cienerator comprising a hollow metallic casting formed interiorly with a plurality of integral hollow watertight members each of which openly communicate with the exterior of the casting and areinteriorly shaped to receive disk-shaped electrical resistance units, integral bridging members being'formed between each of said members and between said mem bers and the walls of said casting, said casting having a plurality of openings one of which is positioned at the top thereof, one at substantially the midpoint of a side wall thereof, one at the bottom thereof and one intermediate of the first two, said last mentioned opening having a buoyant ended rod positioned therein and a steam-tight covering therefor, and disk-shaped electrical heating units for insertion in each of said hollow members.

2. A portable heat-er including a water container, a plurality of variable capacity electrical resistanceunits carried by said water container, an upstanding dry steam conduithaving its lower end connected to the top of said water container and its upper end bent at a right angle to the rest, a wet steam out-' let at substantially the midpoint of one side of said container, a condensed steam conduit connected to the bottom of one side of said container, and a steam radiator, said upstanding conduit having its bent end connected to the top and said coupling and second conduit to opposite ends of the bottom thereof.

3. A portable heater including a water container, a plurality of variable electrical resistance units carried by said water container, an upstanding conduit having its lower end connected to the top of said water container and its upper end bent at a right angle to the rest, a coupling connected to substantially the midpoint of one side of said container, a steam radiator, said. upstanding conduit having its bent end connected to the top and said coupling and second conduit to opposite sides of the bottom thereof, a panel board carried by said upstanding conduit and extending down along the length thereof and being bent and enlarged so as to cover one side of said container, a pressure gage carried by the upper part of said panel board, a conduit for operatively connecting said gage to the bent part of said pipe, a plurality of multi-pole electrical switches carried by the upper part of said panel board, wires carried back of said panel board for connecting one of said switches to one of said electrical resistance units in each instance, wires for operatively connecting said switches to a current source,

and a safety pressure release for said steam radlator.

WILLIAM BENJAMIN DUNN. 

